Residents in an Auckland street have been given portaloos to use while they await a fix to wastewater pipes that broke in the Auckland Anniversary floods over six weeks ago.
Hadfield Street in Beach Haven is one of many streets in the supercity where wastewater pipes broke in the January 27th floods.
Residents are still struggling with makeshift temporary wastewater solutions amid what one resident has described as “appalling” communication issues.
Gary Flynn told 1News the only written communication provided to anyone from Watercare was a letter sent to 10 residents on 8 March, telling them portaloos would be delivered.
Flynn said there was a public meeting for residents organised by Watercare on 8 March but said he only found out via Facebook and wasn't sure if other residents knew about it.
He said there were many problems, including the placement of leads to a generator pumping sewage down the street via a temporary bypass, which were not fit for purpose. He said rubber gloves and electrical tape were covering some of them to keep them waterproof.
He said the pipe had multiple sections and "18 different sections of that pipe – leaked last Wednesday and Thursday. It’s not overly effective".
Sewage has leaked through properties and into gardens, he said.
"Everyone was just using their toilets as usual but the pipes were broken and all the sewage was running into the bush and into the harbour."
Flynn said that on March 9, his partner arrived home from work to find a portaloo blocking the driveway.
“The day after the letter was sent, we arrived home to Prestige portaloos and Shitbox branded loos dotted along our side of the street. Ours was placed at the bottom of our drive facing the street and we couldn’t get our cars in.
“Our elderly neighbours have theirs placed at a precarious angle at the top of the drive on the verge and looks as if it would fall over were it to be used.”
He said their family couldn’t open the windows in the house because of the noise and “disgusting” diesel fumes from the 24/7-powered generator.
Flynn said Watercare has told residents the fix may take over a year but has agreed to provide portaloos which could be used inside, “similar to what you’d use in a caravan”.
“This is really focused on the massive ineffective temporary solution put in place in our area and a complete lack of communication with local residents and the huge waste of money. If this is the same as elsewhere, then millions of dollars could be wasted," Flynn said.
Watercare responds
Watercare’s northern networks operations manager Tim Scheirlinck told 1News, the January storm and Cyclone Gabrielle “caused widespread damage to our water and wastewater infrastructure”.
“Restoring service to our customers was our first priority, and we’re proud to have been able to do this relatively quickly. Water was restored to all customers within five days of the January 27 storm.
“A landslip on Hadfield St broke our public wastewater pipe after the January storm. Safety concerns meant we were not able to attend the site immediately. One of our consultant engineers visited the site on February 6 to assess its stability and deemed it unsafe to attend.
"Work on a temporary bypass began after Cyclone Gabrielle and was in place by February 21."
Scheirlinck said using a bypass pump and overland hose contains most of the wastewater flow from the street.
“Unfortunately, due to the landslip, there are a handful of homes that we could not connect. To reduce the environmental impact, we have provided portaloos for these customers to use while we work with them on a more suitable temporary solution.
“We recognise that the temporary set-up in place is not ideal and have taken on board feedback from local residents. We’re now working on improvements to the set up – including using a connected power source (offered by one of the home-owners) instead of a generator – that will reduce noise and disruption.
“We need to carry out geotechnical investigations before we can confirm what the permanent fix to the wastewater network will be and how long it might take. We’ll keep the community updated as we make progress here.
“Some customers have suggested alternative options to a portaloo and we’re happy to make these changes," Scheirlinck said.
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